Jaune Arc: Specialist's Apprentice
by TomatoInTheSky
Summary: Jaune Arc, is sole survivor of Veridian. Or that's what he thinks. Jaune embarks on a journey to find the person who took his home from him, and along the way, meets some interesting people. He is taken under the wing of Specialist Winter Schnee as her own apprentice and is sent to Vale to investigate criminal movements, and to find the monster who took his home from him.
1. Chapter 1

Sat in the middle of a dark room on a old chair, was a blindfolded and restrained Jaune Arc.

He always wondered to himself on how he really got into these situations.

Whatever the matter, he didn't seem to care very much this time around, as a small snore could be heard coming from him.

The door to the room slammed open, revealing several figures, large and daunting, each carrying deadly sharp weapons. Four men stood in each corner of the room, hand on hilt, awaiting the slightest bit of agressive movement.

The last man to enter growled slightly at the sight. _Sleeping? He dares to sleep and rest after being beaten and kidnapped?_

A sharp backhand met the captives cheek. Jaune awoke sputtering, shaking his head. "Wh- What's goin' on here? Who turned the lights off?" he mumbled, fumbling with his restraints.

The man smirked slightly, his captive was playing dumb was he? He'd teach him a lesson quickly. "Oh I'm sorry about that, surely I can find the lightswitch around here somewhere.."

Another sharp backhand met Jaunes other cheek. He snarled and spat the leaking blood from his mouth at his captor. Of course, he missed.

"Still got some spunk, don't you? I will admit, you put up quite the fight. Fourty of my men are dead, and another twenty are out of commission." said the man, kneeling down to Jaunes level.

"How is it that a child is able to murder trained combatants, and still be sane enough to think straight? You can't be more than, what, fifteen? sixteen at most?" he said, almost with pity in his voice.

"I happen to be seventeen, if it at all matters. I'm sure this conversation is meanlingless as it is futile. You won't get anything out of me." Jaune said with a low growl.

"Meaningless, perhaps. Futile? Maybe not. You see, I have other meathods of recieving information. I haven't the sightest to who you are and why you do what you do, but I couldn't care less. You've been causing me lots of trouble and now that I have you, it ends. You're the one responsible for the attacks at Port Union."

"Yep, that would be me! I'm glad I'm recognized for my talents. You see, not very many my age have the balls to-" Jaune was cut short when he felt the tickle of a blade at his neck.

The heavy breathing could be heard from the man kneeled before him, "I'm not here to play games boy. Tell me who you are, and what you want, or else!"

Jaune was frozen for a second, still feeling the blade at his jugular. Seriously? An 'or else' threat? He really couldn't have come up with better. "I'm just a kid, lost, trying to find his way back home. Surely you could help me, no?" he said, breathing sarcasm into every word.

The man growled angrily before him, and lashed his blade out towards the center of his head.

Jaune only felt air pass him as he moved his head slightly. "I would be careful with that if I were you. You wouldn't want to kill me, you don't even know who I am, and I'm assuming whoever is incharge of you wouldn't want that." he said, almost casually. "I have a proposition."

The captor barked a laugh, "You think you're in a position to make demands boy? Try me!"

Jaune nodded, "Very well. Remove my blindfold and restraints and have everyone leave the room, save you. Then I'll talk."

"You think I'm stupid? You're a killer! No way in hell." The man responded, heated.

Jaune smirked slightly, "Surely you can handle me, a child. After all, you have my sword. And what am I without it? I only wish for my safety, you must understand."

To his surprised, he heard silence. Could he actually be considering this?

With the raise of his hand, the guards filed out of the room.

_Holy shit it worked!_

The man walked around and slit his blindfold and cut his restraints.

This should prove to be interesting..

Jaune stood and turned to meet his captor. He was as tall as he was, his hair buzzed, and he wore a black suit. His face didn't say much, but his stance would show that he would shank him if he made any movement. Jaune wasn't sure that he'd be making it very far with that belly of his, though.

He spread his hands, "What is it you want to know?" he said smiling.

Warily, the man stepped back slightly, "You're name, why you're attacking us and who sent you."

"Jaune Arc, you burned my village to the ground and no one. This is my own doing." he said, rolling his eyes.

The captors eyebrow rose, "You would so willingly give up your name.. Before you wouldn't budge. Why now?"

Jaune sighed, "You seem more concerned with the fact that I gave you my name rather than the fact that you killed off my entire village."

"I kill many people, it's only natural."

Jaune nodded sympathetically, "Yeah I supposed you're right. I suppose I can't just keep thinking of you as "my captor" or "the guy", what's your name?"

"I'm surprised you don't know kid, I'm Cho Xe May. I've got my face plastered on nearly every wall in this town, I don't know how you haven't seen me."

"Ah, forgive my neglect, Cho. I must have forgotten to pay attention while I was rampaging through your men." Jaune said, shaking his head.

In truth, Jaune knew who this man was. He was just putting on a show for him. Making a statement, perhaps.

Honestly, it didn't really matter, he would still die here.

"I'm going to have to cut our conversation short here Mister Xe May, I have another meeting to attend and I'm know to be very punctual, if not comedic." Jaune said walking forward.

Cho didn't miss the hint, his arm pistoned forward directly towards Jaunes chest.

The blade didn't reach.

He was gasping for air, feeling the sharp impact to his stomach. Still, another shot would surely get him right?

Cho slashed and hacked at Jaune who side stepped and weaved through his attacks, until he had his share of fun.

"You know, for a crime leader, I thought you'd be better at this!"

He caught the hand of Cho and bent it upwards hearing the satisfying crack of bone. Cho screamed and fell to the floor, crawling back.

He placed foot on Cho's shoulder, "Now look what you've done, your guards will have heard you and more lives will be taken. I didn't do this, you did!" he said with a laugh.

It was anything but funny when Jaune took his knife and hoisted him up and held in a headlock, knife tickling his neck. "Does this situation seem familiar to you? I'm having a strange sense of dejavu here.."

The doors busted open once again and guards poured in, the four from before. "Aw, you couldn't invite anymore friends to the party? How unfortunate."

"I'll do whatever you want! Just don't kill me, I promise!" Jaune nodded, considerately.

Jaune began to walk to the door when the guards raised their weapons to meet his face, "Tell them to let us go. I'm heading for the front gate, and taking you with me as my meat shield. Once we get there, I will release you and leave. Sound like a deal?" he asked, carefully piercing the skin of his neck, allowing the slightlest amount of blood to dribble.

"Deal! Deal! Let him go!" he cried out, ordereing his guards. They looked wary, but let him through regardless.

Jaune made his way through the building, ignoring the weapons that were unsheathed and pointed his way. Cho would only order them not to attack. All the while Jaune was thinking of his next move. After I'm done here I'll head for Junior. That means making my way back to Vale.

They reached the gates, Jaune stepped outside, dragging Cho by the neck out with him. Abruptly he turned back to face the fortress, and it's guards. "Order your men to stop following and go back inside the gates."

"You've gotten what you want! Just let me go-" Jaunes hold on his neck tightned. Cho raised a hand, and again, the guards filed back inside the gates, watching the captive become the captor.

"You know Cho, there was a reason I came here. I'm sure you must be wondering why I stormed your base and decided to leave without having done anything important." he whispered.

Cho nodded, gulping, shivering in the cold night air of Atlas.

"I know it wasn't you who directly killed them, just your men. Hell, I know you haven't even been to Anema. All I know is that you're the middleman for a man named Roman Torchwick. Your men were there, in Vale. They raided a village. Veridian."

"Roman hired my men, that's all! He just needed quick cash!" Cho whimpered, almost begging for the guards to storm his captor.

Jaune reached into his cloak with his knifed hand and pulled out a photo, holding it infront of Cho's face. "I know you were looking for her. Why? What does Torchwick want with her?"

The captives eyes widened, "I don't know! I don't ask him questions, he pays us and we do as he says!"

"What happened to your 'quick cash' excuse, Cho? You're getting sloppy with your lies." Jaune placed the photo back into his cloak.

"I'm sorry, please I'm sorry! Just let me go and I'll handle Torchwick!" he cried, tears and snot dripping from his chin.

"You don't need to worry about that, Cho. His blood will be on _my_ hands." Jaune said, barely loosening his grip.

Cho squirmmed harder, "Then do it! Leave and rid Torchwick of this world! I don't have a care in the world for him!" Jaune's grip tightened tenfold, choking the man.

"I'll be sure to tell him those were your final words."

Almost like his hands were made for it, Jaune carved a smile, ear to ear, on Cho. Blood spilled from his neck, onto Jaunes arm. He was used to it. He shouldn't be.

Jaune sprinted into the forest behind before any guards could catch him.

That night was the first that Atlas had heard of the Jaune Arc, lone survivor of Veridian.


	2. Chapter 2

General Ironwood read the last pages of the hefty report on his desk. All throughout, his eyebrows raised.

_Am I supposed to believe that a seventeen year old boy took down the head of a criminal organization? No, correction. Murdered the the head of a criminal organization?_

He hummed in thought. _I suppose anything's possible these days. Perhaps the report is faulty? No way one kid could do this. Let alone be stupid enough to leave survivors who had seen his face.._ Blonde cropped hair, five-feet eleven inches tall, and blue eyes. _Not much to go on.. _

Until he read the name of of the suspect, left out of the main document, on the side.

_Jaune Arc._

"Winter," he called out softly.

Winter Schnee, Specialist of the Atlas Military, appeared at the door to his office, offereing a salute to her Superior. "Sir."

He looked up from the report momentarily, raising his hand. She dropped her salute and walked forward, waiting for his orders.

"I assume you've gone through this report yourself?" he asked, sighing.

Winters eyebrows scrunched in fustration, "No sir, these reports are for your eyes only."

"Let me clarify. I know that you've read through them." he spoke, sitting up in his chair, interlocking his fingers infront of his growing grin.

A sharp glare met him in response.

"You know, it's not really a problem. I have no issues with you reading through them, I've grown used to your antics."

Winter huffed and looked away.

"As it stands, no one but you and I have seen this. Let's keep it this way." She nodded, inspite of being caught. "I'm sending you to find this.. boy. Or whatever you find. Just get back to me with Something," he said, raising a gloved hand to his forhead in fatigue.

Confused as she was, she didn't hesitate to accept the mission. "Yes sir. Will I have any company on this mission?"

"No. I can't afford to send a team on something that is possibly fake, but I can't afford to not take it seriously. You'll be fine on this one. The last seen location of the boy is at the gates of Cho Xe May's base, before heading off into the Gray Forest. I would ask you to carry a body bag because those woods aren't for the average civilian, but I believe this person is more crafty than meets the eye, if he is what I have read." Ironwood explained to her.

She simply nodded. It would be no problem for her to hunt him down. It was why she was trained. But why did Ironwood ask for her specifically? She didn't bother asking, she knew she would learn in time.

"If you've no questions, you're dismissed." Ironwood said, waving a hand distractidly.

She rasied a hand in salute and made her way to the door before stopping mid-way, "Sir, the report does not include a name. Is this unknown or has it been left out?"

He nodded, looking up to her again, "Yes, it has been left out at the discretion of the detectives on sight. I, however know who you are looking for." he paused.

Winter raised an eyebrow at his dramatics, "Who, sir?"

For the first time, while at the time she could not figure out why, she saw genuine concern on the Generals face, "You're hunting Jaune Arc."

Her head tilted slightly, as a child might do, in confusion. Why did that name ring a bell? It didn't matter. A mission was a mission. She would find this boy.

Later that morning, Jaune found himself sprinting through the Gray Forest at speeds that he never knew he could run.

"Who the hell are you, and what do you want from me!" he screamed, hopping over a log and pivoting to his left, in a desperate attempt to throw off the person chasing him.

Of course, no response followed, nor had he bothered to turn around to see who it was. He was sure from how close the footsteps were that it was no averege crook, certainly not one of Cho Xe May's men.

Jaune skidded under a set of fallen dead trees and made to recover when he found himself facing the figure chasing him. _What?! How?- _

He was cut off by the sudden unsheathing of a saber.

_Oh shit!_

Jaune knew from the way she swung that she was trained, not only that, but she was just toying with him.

He dodged and weaved her strikes, but he could feel himself wearing out, _She's trying to tire me!_

He fired off two punches for her abdomen, and found that they hit, she only staggered for a second before her strikes came back, harder and faster.

She swung her saber towards his face, barely catching a few strands of hair. "Lady, are you trying to kill me here? Leave me alone!" he said, weaving through another set of attacks.

Her eyes narrowed as she continued to strike. Jaune had had enough.

He shot his leg up, kicking her saber hand, knocking it from her grasp and then proceeded to tackle her down a hill of the Gray Forest.

Her eyes widedned slightly. Then her eyes scrunched up in anger.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Jaune said, rushing to stand up, readying himself for round two.

She simply stood and dusted her coat off.

Jaune couldn't see what came next.

One moment, she stood there glaring at him, the next, he was flat on his back, his neck being crushed by her knee. _Holy hell! Is this the devil herself?_

"ou- know, if -ou want- to get close you cou-gg have jut athked!" he choked out, in a desperate attempt to taunt his attacker.

Winter wasn't amused. Her fist met the side of his head and his eyes drooped shut.

She slung him on her shoulder and walked the steep hill to retrieve her weapons. _That was.. Interesting.. Dirty moves, but interesting none the less.. This is definitely him._

Winter dropped her capture as she bent down to retrieve her saber. She noticed a few bruises that would no doubt leave scars. _Interesting. Maybe this isn't him? Surely someone who took out Xe May's base would have Aura to heal himself.. _

He looked familiar too.. Maybe it was just a coincidence.

She realized that this was her best bet. He happened to fit all the right descripitions. _He'll do_, she thought.

Winter made her way back to General Ironwoods office, her captive slung on her shoulder.

General Ironwood was sipping his coffee, enjoying his break when he heard his window open, feeling the brisk Atlas air pour in. He knew better than to reach for his weapon. Only one person was audacious enough to do this. If only for her appearance, however.

An unconcious figure was thrown into his office, followed by Winter hopping through the window, standing at attention.

"You look like you just fought a bear." He mumbled, sipping his beverage.

The usual sharp glare met him in response as Winter attempted to dust the dirt, grime and twigs from her hair and uniform. He sighed.

"I care less for your appearence Winter, you know this. Mission Report." He said, voice becoming stern.

Winter was at attention once more, "You were correct sir. I found him in the Gray Forest. He gave me a chase before we had a brief encounter, engaging in combat. I believe this is the person we are looking for. He managed to disarm me, merely with his technique. I was caught off-guard, but recovered and knocked him unconcious. The rest you know."

The General raised a black eyebrow. "Disarmed you, did he? One does not simply disarm a Specialist. I'm surprised his head is still attached to his neck, in-fact." Ironwood said, staring at Winter, awaiting an answer.

"Admittidly, he managed to evade all of my attacks, save towards the end of our encounter. This is why I am to believe this is the boy who you are looking for. Jaune Arc. Should I have him sent to the nearest prison, Sir?" Winter said, head off to the side in- was that shame he saw? It seemed this boy really bruissed Winters ego more than anything else.

"No, I'll have to speak with him. I'm curious. Leave us. You're dismissed." Ironwood said, walking back around to his seat.

Winter hesitated, "Are you certain? He could awaken at any momen-"

"And you're certain I couldn't hold him? I know I'm growing gray hairs Winter but please, I think I can handle this one. If not, then you can be the General for a week." He said, amused.

Winter saluted, red-faced, and left his office.

Ironwood poured cold water into a glass from the jug and proceeded to walk over to the unconcious boy on his rug. He sighed._ Please do me a favour and don't start a commotion._

He poured the ice cold water onto the face of the unconcious boy.

"Hoh Hyah! Woah there!" Jaune awoke, covering his face and rolling to the side, quickly making his way to his feet, eyes squinted in the bright lights of Ironwood's office.

Ironwood frowned, "You know, I expected some better reflexes for someone who I hear is a killer." He took a seat once again behind his desk.

Jaune raised a golden eyebrow, looking curiously at the General.

"Where am I and who are you?" taking on a slightly serious tone to his voice. Could he take this guy in a fight? He looked built like a truck. Looks could be decieving.

He placed his mug onto his desk, "I am James Ironwood, General of the Atlas Military and Headmaster of Atlas Academy for Hunters and Huntresses. You're in my office."

As the words 'General of Atlas' left his lips, Jaune's eyes flickered to the open window to his left.

"I wouldn't do that. I'm not here for a fight, nor am I going to arrest you. Well not yet anyways. Have a seat." James asked, elbows on his desk, fingers interlocked, patient as ever.

Jaune sent him a furious glare, "And what does the proud General want with a boy whos been naughty? Going to bend me over and spank me?"

He sprinted for the window, only to be met with a heeled foot to his face. He landed agaisnt the bookshelf on the otherside of the room.

General Ironwood sighed, "Back already Winter? That was quick." He asked her, watching as she climbed through the window for the second time today.

"You! You were the one who- How did you do that? You were like a lightning bolt. My throat still hurts _asshole_!" Jaune said, getting up, marching over to her.

"For someone who was defeated so easily, you've got quite the mouth on you." Ironwood said, bemused.

The blonde faced him, "The two have no corolation. I've always been 'colourful' in the way I speak."

Rolling his eyes, Ironwood gestured the chair before him once again, "Sit, we need to talk. No more asking. That, or I send you to jail, no questions asked."

Looking between the two Atlas officials, he settled on _not_ going to jail. He grumbled and dropped like a sack onto the empty seat in front of Ironwood's desk.

"Good. Now straight to the point, I want to know why you were at Cho Xe Mays base last night." The General asked, clasping his hands patiently.

"Okay."

"...Okay?" He inquired, confused.

"Okay. You said you wanted to know. That doesn't neccesarily mean I'm going to tell you." Jaune replied in annoyance, crossing his arms.

James sighed, what a pain this would be indeed..

"Need I remind you that either you answer to me, or the bars of a cell? Surely the choice isn't so hard." He said, gesturing for Winter to come forward.

"Sir?" The Specialist inquired.

"Yes, you're dismissed. I feel my conversation with Jaune will be better suited between the two of us, alone." He explained with a light to his eye. She got the hint.

Nodding faithfully, "Yes Sir." She left the room.

"You think sending your guard dog away will make me answer to you? Hah! As if old man!" Ironwood's knuckles cracked as he clenched his hand into a fist.

He shook his head, he didn't really _want_ to do this, but it seemed like the only way.

"You seem to appreciate a good fight, Jaune Arc. That much I can respect. I suppose I am expected to deliver now."

He stood from his chair and placed a firm boot on the edge of the desk and launched it at the unsuspecting boy. Both of which were now at the end of the office. He was burried in broken in pieces of wood and stray leaflets of paper.

From where he stood, Ironwood seemed to cross the distance between Jaune and himself in a matter of seconds. He leaned down, "Shall we try again? I want to know why you were at Xe May's Base last night."

Jaune huffed in exasperation. "To kill him. I thought that much was obvious." He said, rolling his eyes.

"And why kill him? Not that I'm complaining. You've done the dirty work for me." Ironwood said, standing straight once more.

At this point, Jaune looked away for a second. Ironwood could sense some sort of resentment there. "His men were apart of the destruction of my village and it's people. I'm taking my revenge."

James hummed at this. "It's not everyday that I see teens ruthlessly kill grown men without any care in the world. And not everyday that I hear them say that they want _revenge_ of all things. Though I can sympythize with where it's coming from."

"Your sympathy isn't needed and certainly isn't welcome." he said with a sharp glare. To this, the General frowned. This fellow seemed bothered indeed.

"Cho Xe May is- or was, a criminal who had a minor, but strong influence here in the southeren part of Atlas. I've been meaning to.. dispose of him, for a while. There are bigger problems at hand however." James explained, placing his hands behind his back. Jaune rose slowly, and painfully from the rubble of Ironwoods desk.

"This is the only reason why you're still here, and not in a cell. However, you _were_ acting outside of the law. You still killed a man, Jaune-"

"Technically I killed around fourty men-"

"You get the point," Ironwood said, sighing.

Jaune nodded. He could see this unfolding exactly how he hated it.

"I'll make this simple. You seem to know you're way around crooks, and you're way around fighting. Work for me, and you'll no longer be outside of the law." James explained this, a stern look to his eyes. Jaune saw that he was serious.

"No longer outside of the law? Yeah, but imagine the restrictions.. I have my own path old man, I can't get caught up in this millitary stuff. I've never been cut out for rules.." Jaune explained, a little less heated.

He nodded, expecting the answer, "And what is your path? Is it just revenge? Or do you plan to do something with your life? Do you plan to live, breathe, eat, and resonate hatred until you've fulfilled your task?"

Well.. when you say it like that..

Jaune wasn't stupid. He knew that his path wasn't an easy one attained in one night. He just didn't know what else to do.. His people, his village... All gone, for what? He didn't want to accept it.

"I need to do this General." Jaune said, addressing the man for the first time.

Again, to Jaunes surprise, he nodded again. "And I wouldn't object to it. There is a difference between working for me, and being my student at the academy. And it's another to do both entirely."

Jaune's eyes widened slightly. Both?

"You're from Veridian, I take it?"

Jaune nodded warily. It was common knowledge that Veridian was destroyed. It wasn't common knowledge that he was the sole survivor.

James turned and headed to the cabinate, behind where his desk would usually sit. _Should I be really doing this..?_

Opening the cabinate, he took out a file. Sighing as he opened it, he wondered._ Could he fit the bill? A bit rough around the edges... maybe he'll do._ "If you are from Veridian then you have a citizenship for Vale. How did you get here?"

The boy shrugged, "Some drunk sailers who didn't pay attention when loading cargo onto their ship."

"Don't tell me you killed them too.." The General said, almost with a laugh, as he turned through his papers.

Jaune responded with the corners of his mouth twitching, "No no, they're alive and well. They didn't even realize I was there. I left them a small payment on a crate."

Ironwoods eyes flickered to him, "Surprisingly generous for someone who's plenty ruthless."

"I'm ruthless to those who have taken from me."

_I think 'ruthless' is a bit of an understatement_, Ironwood thought to himself, recalling the photo of a dead Cho Xe May.

_So we'll need a dual Citizienship if I want this to work.._

_And for Winter to cooperate.._

Making up his mind, He walked back over to Jaune, handing him the closed file. When he went to open it, he stopped him. "Before you open that, I must ask a few more questions."

Jaune rasied an eyebrow, queing Ironwood to continue.

"Working for me on the circumstances that I wish for will be difficult. I would have you do assignments not entirely related to your incident. You believe Roman Torchwick is responsible for this mess?" James asked.

"He is. No doubt about it. That's why I went after Cho. He hired his men." Jaune explained, now gaining comfort with the presence of the General.

He nodded in return, "You're not wrong. But there is more to it. There is a third, even a fourth party involved. I cannot explain now. Should you choose to accept my offer, then I can go into further detail."

Jaune paused for a minute, "Hold on a sec. Why are you doing all of this? I'm just a strange kid from Vale who literally was thrown into your window," He was now realizing something was up.

"How much do you know of your family?" James asked, head tilted slightly, looking closer at Jaunes visage.

"Nothing. I'm an orphan. Most kids in Veridian were." Jaune replied, now curious as to why he asked. His family was never really a thought for him. His only family had really been...

"Your surname, Arc, holds more worth than you believe. It is more of a silent popularity among older huntsmen and huntresses, like myself. I knew your father, young man."

Jaune went wide eyed at the statemet. His.. father? He had one of those? It was a stupid thought, but when you're alone for all of your life, surrounded by other orphans, you tend not to think on such things for too long.

"Tristan Arc wasn't a huntsmen just for Vale alone. His services were sought after by all kingdoms, including Atlas. Or 'Mantle' before it turned into Atlas. He wasn't know by many, but those who met him behind his firm shake of hands, were friends. Those who met him with his sword raised, were enemies. They never would get to know him well. I'm sure you knew this already, Tristan is dead. He died only five or six years ago." James explained, pulling a picture from his scroll, showing it to Jaune.

He felt like he was staring at an older Jaune.

He had longer hair than him, a darker blonde. His eyes were a lighter shade of blue, and his all around face resembled Jaune very much. _Hmph, guess I didn't get much of my mothers looks then?_

"So, why did my bastard of an old man decide to leave me in Veridian fending for scraps?" He asked, not at all angry. He didn't care for a man he never knew.

He put his scroll back into his jacket pocket, "Tristan was a.. complicated man. His beliefs let him think that his work would only get people close to him killed. He was never that way, until his sister was killed by an enemy he had failed to dispose of on a previous mission. He abandoned all ties to Veridian and left your mother there too. His paranoia led him to be that way. What he didn't know, was that he left her pregnant."

_Sounds like a douche to me.._ Jaune thought.

"For the good work he did for me, and for Atlas, I almost feel indebted to him. Even though you never knew him personally, nor do I think you care, you're still an Arc. A name which held silent glory during the many previous battles of Remnant." Ironwood explained, taking a step forward. "This is one of the reasons I offer you a position under me eye."

_One of the reasons?_ He thought.

"Potential. You're seventeen and, as much as she hates to admit it, you've caught one of my trained Specialists off guard. Don't let it get to your head though, had she been a little less overconfident, I don't think you would have come out as clean as you have." Ironwood explained, remembering the indignant look on Winters face when she returned from her hunt.

"However, the main reason," he continued, "Is that I have a job that needs to be done. I think you could fit the position perfectly. I have my suspisions about the criminal activity in Vale. There has been a rise in the number of Dust shops raided in the last year, and I intend to find out for myself."

Jaune stopped to think for a second.. Wasn't Roman Torchwick responsible for those? He could take him down, and get a free ticket there to do it.. Two birds, one stone. "If it's Torchwick you want gone, I'm all for it."

"It's not so simple." His excitement was halted by the General. "What would Roman Torchwick be doing with loads of Dust? What other known criminal groups are in Vale?"

He thought for a moment, recalling the recent reports on television. "The White Fang? You think Torchwick is working with them? They'd never work out. He's human!"

"I have a suspicion that the third party I mentioned, is involved." Ironwood responded. Jaune grumbled and accepted the answer.

Before any conversation went off tangent again, James spoke again, "There are some slight.. problems with the program I have in mind for you however.."

Jaune's silence was a telling to continue.

"Since you have no formal education in combat, I need you to attend school. While I know that's not what you had in mind, we can always work around it to work with your schedule, while working for me. I will be four years at one of the four Huntsmen academ-"

"Woah hold on there, Huntsmen academy? Not interested. I'm just out for Torchwick. If this is leading into me being some kind of tool, I'm out." Jaune said, taking a step back.

"I assure you, this isn't what you think. Take a look at the file."

"..That might be an issue as well.."

Ironwood's tone took on confusion, "Why's that?"

"Well you see.. I can't exactly read either. Orphans in Veridian didn't get education. You're going to have quite the time sending me to school if that's what you want." Jaune explained, looking down slightly.

James paused. _Hm, hadn't thought of that one_, he thought.

"This can be worked on. There are other options of completing work, such as dictation while someone writes for you. That is, until you learn how to read." He explained. "That document holds the forms required to register someone as a Specialist in-training."

Jaune paused, "You want me to be a Specialist? Whats the difference between that and being a Huntsmen?"

"The implication is in the title. You'd need your Huntsmen liscense to become a Specialist. You'd specialize in an area of work. Hence the seperation in terms."

"What would I specialize in?" he asked, almost immediately knowing the answer.

"Since you're so adept at getting around crooks," he said, giving him a look, "you'd be training as a Combat Specialist." James said.

_Well, I guess that works_, Jaune thought, almost sighing in his thoughts.

"So if I wanna do this, I gotta be at a fancy Huntsmen school, full term, get my Huntsmen liscense, then enroll to become a Specialist?"

"That sounds about right, yes."

"And why would I do it? What do I have to gain?"

Ironwood stared at him, "If you want to get the people who are truly responsible, not just Torchwick," he said with a pause, "Then you're not the only one. Myself and a group of others are dedicated to the protection of Remnant itself. And should you choose to accept this role, you would have a formal education, training, and the freedom that being a Specialist has. When you graduate and get your lisense, you'd be allowed to travel the world without question, any land or sea. You would answer to me, not the Military, even if I am the General. One particular part of this is that you could further investigate Veridians destruction, while doing your education. You'd be registered as a student, but also have the title as Specialist Apprentice."

Silence followed Ironwoods explanation.

_Specialist Apprentice, huh? Maybe that didn't sound too bad._

"Where would I do my education? Here in Atlas?"

"As convienient as that would be, no. I would have you enrolled in Vale. This allows you to study and investigate Veridian." Ironwood explained.

_This might work out well.. I'd just have to pass four years of school, not knowing how to read.. How hard could it be?_

"This being said. Your studies do take a priority. If I am to make a Specialist out of you, then I need you, need being the operative word here, to focus and succeed to your highest ability. Am I clear?"

Jaune thought on this.. Would this be his future? Could this work out in his favor?

He stuck his hand out, "I'll accept this offer. If you'll have me."

"If I didn't, I wouldn't go through the trouble of explaining everything to you. I wouldn't have actually thrown you in jail, you know." he said, grasping his hand in acceptance.

"Right, because I'm an Arc."

"No, because you did the right thing. Just in the wrong way."

"Hmph, I don't really see how, old man."

James sighed, "One day you might, Arc, one day you might." He remembered something, "Another important detail is that you will be going undercover. We must not let anyone know that you are working for me. Ozpin, the head-master of Beacon, is a friend. That being said, I'm still worried about the way he goes about the protection of his school and Vale as a whole. His methods are.. Well, too subtle, to say the least. Hence why I am sending you to investigate him and the school."

Jaune gave him an odd look, "Isn't that a little.. sneaky of you? You said he's your friend."

"He is, believe me. Ozpin can just be easygoing and quiet about the way he handles things however." the General explained. Jaune nodded, accepting the point

He opened the file and pointed at a line with a pen, "Your signature here, and we'll be done here. I'll have all the arrangements made."

He grabbed the pen, not really remembering the feeling of holding one before, "How should I sign this? I can't even write my name." He said in fustration, gripping the pen harder, shaking.

Remembering that fact, the General sighed, "I suppose a verbal consent will have to do. Let me call in another witness," Jaune nodded, flushed with relief.

"Winter, get in here." That relief was gone in an instant.

The woman entered, saluted and stood before her superior. "Sir?"

"Nothing of great importance, just your presence as witness to his agreement." Confused as she was, she nodded.

He turned to face Jaune again, "Jaune Arc, do you accept the role as Specialist Apprentice?"

"Uh, I guess? Yeah."

To say the look on Winters face was priceless would be an understatement.

"Alright then. Winter, sign here. Then we'll be done." She did as she was told, as was surprised to find the document being handed to _herself_.

General Ironwood smiled, almost devilishly, "Winter, this is Jaune Arc, your apprentice."


	3. Chapter 3

Staring up at the cieling from his new bed in his temporary living arrangement. Jaune thought on the events that just occured.

_I don't think I've ever seen someone so quiet and furious at the same time_, Jaune thought, recalling the Winters face, as she dropped him to his room within the Military base.

He was sure that her and Ironwood would be having words about this. Hell, he wanted to have words about this to him.

_It can't be That bad, can it? I'm sure she isn't as stuck up as she seems. Plus, I won't be around her all the time, I'll be in Vale in four months time, acording to Ironwood._

He stood from his laying position on his bed, stretched his arms and grabbed his cloak off of the wooden chair in the corner, _I suppose I should learn the nearest exits to this place, just in case I piss her off too badly._

As if sensing his thoughts, he opened his room door to his new mentor, hand raised to knock.

Coughing awkwardly, she spoke, "I wanted to apologize for my reaction and behaviour earlier. Really, it hadn't been directed at you, I was just.. caught off guard from this whole thing."

Hm.. that's probably the most I've heard her speak since meeting her. Well, I don't suppose it's been that long. Just her hunting me and dropping me into the window with the occasional 'Sir'.

His gloved hand reached up to scratch his head, "It's uh, fine I guess. Did you work things out with Ironwood? Is he kicking me out yet?" he asked with a slight laugh.

Winter, confused, replied. "Kicking you out? No. Why do you think that?" she asked, face still unreadable.

"Well I had figured that you went to talk to him about this whole 'Apprentice and Mentor' thing and have it rescinded or something like that." he said, opening the door slightly, a silent invitation into his room.

She took it, striding in and looking around. Winter hummed in understanding, "Well, yes. I had planned to ask the General to void the contract. I never asked for this, and I'm sure you thought this would be different."

"Yeah, I didn't think I'd be in Atlas for more than a week or two at most. Just wanted to get rid of Cho, then head back into Vale for someone else." Jaune explained.

Winter sent him a look with narrowed eyes, "You speak of taking lives like swatting flies."

"Well, nearly fourty men dead in a night, it may as well be." he said, waving a hand.

Winter turned to face him, "I suppose it's my duty to knock these bad habits from you now. This will be your first lesson. Think on the lives you took, and the impact it had. Not on you, but on them."

Jaunes eyes flew to the cieling in annoyance, "What does it matter, they're dead now."

"And you think those people didn't have families? Or people that cared about them? Did it ever occur to you that some criminals are only criminals for the sake of making money and providing for their family?" Winter asked, hands clasped behind her back.

"Did they think about the people they killed at Veridian? Probably not." he came back at her, eyes devoid of emotion.

"So what gives you the right to go out on a killing spree? Is that what your village would have wanted?"

Jaune snorted, "Please, my village didn't want much for me. We didn't have a lot to begin with. The only thing we wanted, collectively, was food and rooves over our heads."

"My question still stands, would they have wanted this reckless, reflection of the criminals that killed them?" Winter asked, a white brow raised.

Jaune shot her a glare, until he found that he couldn't argue her point. Not without sounding like a total idiot, anyways.

"Revenge is a quality that haunts many people. We will work to harness it, and use it to strengthen your resolve. Not for meaningless deaths. Hunt the top of the chain. Not the middle-men." Winter explained, hand resting on her saber, almost casually.

Ironwoods words came back to him. _He mentioned a third party.. They were really apart of this? What was really the point of destroying Veridian?_

"We start training in an hour. Our training hall will be on the floor beneath this one, on the west side. You can't miss it." she said, reaching for the door handle.

"Already? I just signed on! I'm still tired from your chase through the woods-"

"It wasn't a question, it was an order. Be there, or I'll drag you there." she said with a final stern look, closing the door behind her.

Jaune was left staring at the closed door, mouth still ajar.

Well.. I guess I've got an hour to kill before I train with the devil..

A thought occured to him. Maybe now was as good a time as any to pay Ironwood a visit for that information he promised..

Having heard a knocking on his open doorm, the General looked up from his notes. "Arc. What can I do for you?"

He walked in, a smirk growing, "Nice desk! Got a new one already?"

James sighed, "I wouldn't have had to if you weren't so ignorant. Infact, it's your paperwork that I'm working out right now." Setting the pen in his down, he asked again, "What do you need?"

He took a seat on the seat infront of the desk. "Answers, promised by you. Tell me more on this.. 'third party' you mentioned. How do they fit in, and what's their motive?"

Ironwood sat back into his chair, leaning back. "Power, death of mankind, typical villainous type motives, if you ask me. Not any less real, however. The information I've promised to you, only a few more individuals know about.

I could probably count them on my fingers.. It would be foolish for me to trust a seventeen year old with this information, and even more foolish since I only met you today. Can you promise me that you will keep every word spoken about this in confidence?"

Jaune nodded, without hesitance. "I will. I promise."

The General nodded, "Good, then I hope you'll believe what I'm about to say. Most of it is still un-real to me, even after years of seeing it and believing it. Have you ever believed in magic? Sorcery? Anything of the sort?"

The teen shook his head, "No such thing. Only thing close is Semblance. Those have limits."

Ironwood nodded, "Correct. Magic, or what is believed to be magic, does not. It does exist, and it is used today, by few who still possess it. There are four individuals, who posses great amounts of this limitless power, and only four can exist at any time. Maidens, we call them, relative to an old folk tale."

_Maidens?_ "How can you be sure this is not semblance?" he asked, growing more interested.

"I've seen it personally. Semblance is counted as a physical ability, in most cases. It has it's limits, based on the Aura of the user. For one who has this power, it is a completely seperate entity that has no affect or drainage on the users own Aura." He said, clasping his hands together.

Jaune shook his head. "And these, maidens, still exist today? What does this have to do with everything?"

"Someone has been hunting these maidens, and they will attempt to seize all of their powers, and use it for a greater purpose, one that will defintely be the end of mankind, if it comes to pass."

Jaune found himself at a loss for words. This was all true? "If this is all true, why does no one know about it? Why isn't anything being done? We should be protecting these maidens!"

James sat forward once more, eyes intent on Jaune. "The reason why no one knows is for a simple reason, actually. Fear, to all of humanity, will bring the Grimm. The few individuals who know of this threat, we're working to make sure that we can handle this, without making much noise, for lack of better words."

He sat in silence for a few moments. "So what do we do?"

"This is why I've brought you into the fold. I agree that the maidens should be protected, and that there is plenty more to be done. Remember when I said I was sending you to Beacon?" James said, eyes locked on the papers on his desk.

Jaune nodded. Beacon.. He mentioned.. Ozpin? "Ozpin's in on this isn't he? You suspect him of something?"

"I don't suspect him of anything bad. His intentions are true, but he has been acting.. strange, to say the least. For the first time, we've seen the power of a maiden Split. There are now five indivuduals who have this power, two of them at half strength. The maiden in question is in critical care.. She's been in a coma for the last year and a half.." Ironwood said.

Ozpin must be the leader of this group, from the sounds of it. "Who else, besides you and I, knows about this? Winter?"

He nodded, "She knows. Although that knowledge isn't known to the group I mentioned. Now you, alongside her, will be silent in knowing what we've discussed. No one must know that I've told you this. We must find out what their next course of action is, and prepare for it."

Jaune understood his mission now. What he didn't get was.. "What does this all have to do with Veridian?"

Ironwood brought a hand to his forhead and sighed, "That's the one of the many missing pieces to this complicated puzzle. No one knows why Veridian was destroyed. I've a feeling it was because they were looking for something, and thought it was in Veridian. I just can't figure out what.. No other member of this Inner Circle seems to know either."

"I wasn't even there when the village was destroyed.. I had left a year before then. I was searching for someone close to me. She had disappeared a while ago. It would've been almost five years since she left." Jaune explained._ I couldn't even be there to defend my village_.. he thought.

James nodded, "I see. How did you figure that Cho's men were there?"

"There was a corpse of one of his men. Found his I.D and managed to find myself all the way here, in Atlas. More importantly, I found this," Jaune reached into his cloak and pulled a photo, sliding it towards Ironwood.

Jaune's voice cracked slightly, "This is who I was searching for. She's my best friend, and I still don't know why or how she disappeared from Veridian all those years ago. Cho's men, they were my only lead. They were looking for her, I think."

Although Ironwoods face didn't show it, he was shocked. Pieces started falling in place, the reason behind Veridians destruction. They wanted Amber..

He took the photo into his hands, She's a lot younger in this photo..

"Jaune.. This girl," he said, sliding the picture back over, "You said she disappeared?"

He nodded, placing it back into his cloak.

James sighed. "I know who this is Jaune. That's Amber.."

A sharp look was fixed onto the General at the mention of her name. "How do you know her? Do you know where she is?" Jaune asked, hands gripping the desk so hard, creaking could be heard.

Ironwood was at a loss for words. How would he tell him? He would be shocked. "I don't know how to tell you this, Jaune.."

"What is it! Is she dead? Spit it out!" he growled, standing from his seat, anger radiating from his form.

"She.. She's the maiden in question.. Amber, is the Fall Maiden."

Silence followed the statement.

Jaune stumbled back from where he stood, eyes wide. "No.. No this can't be right. She jus- she just disappeared.." he stuttered, mumbling to himself.

Ironwood stood from his seat, "Jaune, I know this is tough to believe, I'm now still understanding this mysel-"

His words were stopped short by the look of pure anger on Jaunes face.

"Where is she." his voice had become bone-chilling.

"Vale. In Beacon. She is being kept alive by a machine."

Jaunes anger only held for a few more moments before his tensed shoulders dropped, and his eyes lost their fire.

"..What are her chances?" He asked, all anger disapating in one go. His eyes met the Generals.

James shook his head.

A choked sob escaped Jaunes mouth.

Only a single tear fell to the ground before he sprinted from the office.

The General sighed and shook his head. She was from Veridian.. It made sense..

What kind of mess have I created now? He thought to himself, sitting back into his chair.

The sound of boots crunching on snow could be heard behind Jaune.

Winter looked at his form, slouched, forearm braced against a tree, heavily breathing. "You're late for your training."

His response was a slow shake of the head.

"The General told me what happened." Winter said, stepping closer.

Jaune barked a laugh. It wasn't a happy one. "Then I hope you'll understand why I'm not in the mood for training right now." he said, face still hiding beneath his forearm.

"Actually, I had a feeling that you Would be in the mood for training."

A sharp look was fixed on her when she spoke.

"I'm being serious. We know why your village was destroyed now, and we know that whatever is going to happen next, will happen in Vale. If you want to be able to defeat your enemies, you'll need to be stronger." Winter explained.

"I should be out there right now! They could be making there move right now, and we're here, lounging about in a cushy fortress in Atlas!" he spoke, tears dried onto his face.

She simply shook her head. "We cannot act on something that is so vague. We don't even know what our targets look like, let alone their names. What we know, is that Roman Torchwick is the deliverer of violence, on their behalf. Ironwood wants you to go to Vale to keep an eye on Beacon. See if anything seems suspicious, and while you're at it, study to become a huntsmen."

"I know what the old man wants,- "

"What I want, is for you to be able to defeat Torchwick."

Jaunes breathing grew harder, "I will defeat him! I Can, kill him!" he shouted at her.

Winters posture remained relaxed, "Please," she snorted, "You can't even beat me. Which brings me to my next point. How do you know that you are capable of defeating one such as Roman Torchwick? Have you ever seen him fight?"

Jaunes raged silence followed. Winter continued, "Knowing when to stay back from a fight, and when to join the fight, are traits that make great fighters. You, have yet to learn this. My example is our encounter back in the woods. Did you know for sure that you could beat me? Or if I was out to kill you?"

He shook his head, "Why are you telling me all of this? I don't know why you even bother, you never wanted to be apart of this before, why now? Why do you care about training me or not?"

"Whether I wanted to or not is out of the question. I see the reasoning now behind Ironwoods decision to take you on, and I sort of support it now. If, I can make a Specialist out of you, then the foes you seek to kill will have a hard time hiding from you."

Jaune let out a fustrated sigh, "What difference can I make, Winter? I'm just a kid, and I don't want to be caught up in all of this nonsense."

"You like to second guess yourself a lot, don't you?" She said, head tilted, "Your problem is just apart of a large web connected to other peoples problems that all comes back to the center, the main problem. The people who hunt the maidens."

"Amber," she continued, Jaune flinching at the name, "was the first casualty of their cruelty. This is your drive. If you wish to prevent this from happening to others, maidens and civilians alike, then I will support you, and put my all into training you."

Jaune stood a little straighter at that, "And you think I'll succeed?"

The backdoor entrance he had come from opened, revealing General Ironwood, walking towards them.

"I believe anything is possible, Jaune." Winter said, the corner of her mouth slightly upturned.

As Ironwood approached them, Jaune saw a hefty folder under his arm.

"How are you feeling, Jaune?" he asked, raising a black, slowly greying eyebrow.

His neutral face didn't show what he was feeling inside, "Angry. More so than I've ever been in my entire life. I feel the need to.. I almost want to say 'hunt' but that would just prove your point." He said, his eyes downcast.

James nodded, "The two often work in combination with eachother. However there are usually two outcomes. A good huntsmen, or a criminal. You can see where Torchwick ended up."

"I don't want to be like him. I know I can seem brutal at times, but I promise, I'm not like him." He said, eyes piercing into the Generals.

At this, the General handed him the folder form under his arm. "Good. Then if you're still with us, here is everything that you'll need, as we discussed. Documentation for your four year enrollment at Beacon, a passport and an Atlas citizenship card."

He opened the folder, seeing all the sheets, all the symbols that didn't make sense to him. He picked up the passport. "This is an old picture of me. I remember when people from Vale came to Veridian to take pictures of us for the database." he said, reminicing, "Won't this be a problem with me being undercover? They'll see that it's Jaune Arc, and not whoever I'm supposed to be."

Ironwood thought on this.. "Yes, I suppose that is a problem.. And we certainly can't call it a coincident. Too many corelations. Your file on the database says you're dead, but there was no evidence of this. Whoever did Veridians investigation did a sloppy job. We will have to take some risky measures.." Ironwood said cryptically.

"Like what?" Jaune inquired, curiously.

"Like deleting your file entirely. Without anyone knowing of course."

His eyebrows rose slightly, "You can do that?.. Isn't that illegal?"

"Perhaps," James said, extending a hand slightly, "But it won't be so much of a problem. Besides, I'm the one who created the database system, alongside the CCT towers. If they were sloppy enough to count you as dead without firm proof, then they won't notice one missing file from hundreds." he said, a small smirk growing on his face.

Jaune shook his head in shock. "You've done more than I could ask for. How do you do it so quickly?" he asked, slightly shocked.

Ironwood gave a small smile, "Being the General of the Atlas Military has its perks. On another note, there is a slight change that you should know. The documents you have there are ones I will submit to Beacon for your enrollment. Those are yours, just for safe keeping. Ozpin will soon see on your 'new' profile that you are from Atlas. Born, and raised here. If you could read, you'd also see that your name is no longer Jaune Arc, and now Jaune Arylide. We'll have to come up with a backstory, I trust I can leave that with you, Winter?"

She nodded, "We'll work on it, Sir."

He nodded, "Good. Now there is one final part of this process, aside from your undercover mission."

Jaune nodded, barely taking all of this in.

This time, Winter pulled a card from her coat. When he reached out to grab it, she held it back, eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't be so quick to take this one. It's from _me_."

He retracted his hand, thoughts swirling quickly in his mind.

"Here, is your Specialist I.D. Here, it shows you as an apprentice, so bear that in mind. Having this comes with lots of responsibility. This means that, although you are a student, you are now a part of legal law enforcement. Most Specialists operate in Atlas, and Apprentices usually stay with their mentors for their full term.. I think it was, four.. No-"

"Six, years Winter," Ironwood said, rolling his eyes at her ignorance.

_Six years?! With her? What did I sign up for.._ Jaune thought with an internal sigh.

"Anyhow, our training will be slightly different. I will have to be making trips between Atlas and Vale to train with you and teach you. Your status means more here in Atlas than it does in Vale, however it still can help you if you're in a tight spot. Use it only in emergencies, and again. You are undercover, Arc."

"It's Arylide now, actually." he said, looking at her, his bad mood, disapating slowly.

Ironwood smiled, "Correct. Now there is one thing that needs to be emphasised on here. You're legal law enforcement and that means, no more unadultrated, brutal, ruthless killing."

Winter nodded, giving him a look. He recalled their conversation in his room. "I think I understand now. No more killing then, I guess." She seemed satisfied with that answer.

"Now," Winter said, "I know that you can fight rather well, and we'll still be training your technique, however we still need to work on your academic side of things.. That comes first." She continued.

"Beacon has a written entrance exam, and I've waved that for you, having one forged and saying that you dictated while someone wrote for you. This is an acceptable case for Beacon, thankfully." Ironwood explained.

"However, you cannot stay like this forever. We have four months until your semester starts. I plan to have you reading and writing in three. We will work day and night to achieve this." Winter clarified.

Jaune headache began now, even if he wasn't currently studying.

He nodded none the less, "Three months? Isn't that pushing it a little? I don't know that I can get _that_ good in that amount of time." he explained. And that's not even thinking about what kind of teacher Winter will be, he thought, dreading his time with her.

"You will be reading, perhaps not at the typical level, but enough to comprehend. Your time at Beacon will help to hone those skills, I hope." Winter added.

Finally, she extended her hand, holding the card out to him.

He reached out, reluctantly accepting the card.

"I guess it's offical.. I have an apprentice now." she sighed.

"Don't sound so exited about it." Ironwood said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I never thought I'd be teaching, give me a break." she said, voice rising slightly, too much so for her character.

The byplay between Ironwood and Winter caught Jaune off guard. Were they..

"When I took you as my apprentice, I had many sleepless nights and many.. brutal awakenings." Jaune sensed that was code for hangover.

He paused for a second, "Wait, so you were _his_ apprentice? And now I'm _your_ apprentice?" he asked, pointing to Ironwood, then at Winter.

She smacked his finger out of the air, "It's rude to point, and yes. Unfortunately."

James barked a laugh, "Don't be so bitter, Winter. You turned out fine."

She rolled her eyes this time, "Yes, well, I suppose I did. I can't say the say the same will be for Jaune however." Her eyes turned to him, eyes serious.

Jaune gulped. _It couldn't be that bad, could it?_


	4. Chapter 4

"Again!"

Jaune groaned from his position, sprawled out onto the hard matted ground of the training hall.

As promised, Winter had been training him day and night, in both combat and academics. Three weeks had passed since he accepted his position as her apprentice, and he was slowly hating it more and more. She was relentless and brutal in her teaching. He woke up everyday, sore beyond belief. Not only had she been sparring with him, but she had him hitting the weights too. His entire diet changed, and that wasn't the worst of it.

If he had know that he would be living with her, he definitely wouldn't have agreed to this.

That's right, James wasn't kidding when he said he had many sleepless nights. It was due to Winter, and now, it was her turn.

It was a first for him to be sharing the same quarters with her, waking up to her shouting, training with her shouting, and then going to sleep being shouted at. Did her voice ever get sore? He hoped so. It was hard for him to imagine

Winter in anything But her uniform, until he was forced to live in the same condo as her, and saw her, just as any other person. Yes, Winter could be human.

There wasn't much time in the day where Jaune had much free time to himself. He spent his time under the watchful eyes of Winter, either learning the alphabet, or sparring. His time with her started out rough, especially his first night staying there. He didn't sleep at all, wondering how exactly he ended up in this situation, and how he would handle this.

His morning wasn't very great either. He sat at the round table, awkwardly staring at his breakfast, that she made.

He didn't eat it at first, and he poked at his food for a while.

"What's wrong with it?" she barked at him, a glare beginning to form.

He looked at her warily, "You.. You didn't do anything to it did you? No poison or nothin'?" Of course, he was joking, even if he Was scared to eat it. That morning ended with a sharp smack to his head, however.

That's when the cooking lessons began. "Salt!" she would yell at him, as he struggled to stir the scrambled eggs. Or, "You burnt the toast you imbecile!"

His mind came back to reality when he saw Winter staring down at him condisendingly from where she stood. "Up, try again!" she shouted, readying her stance.

Jaune growled and stood, "You're going down, and I'm going to enjoy it." he said, readying his fists.

Winter huffed, sprinting towards him. She threw a punch towards the side of his head. He barely dodged it before getting smashed in the chest by her other fist. He slid back, catching his breath once more.

_I need to find a weakness in her form_, he thought, narrowly missing a kick to the head. _What's with her and headshots!_ he thought bitterly.

An idea came to him, the same one from the forest. He jumped forward, feinting a punch before ducking and grappling her waist, attempting to slip her to the ground.

Winter grabbed his arms and pried them from her waist, all the while raising her arms, and slammed him over her shoulder, into the ground, face first.

He was seeing stars, before he rolled himself over to see Winter shaking her head. "I don't fall for the same trick twice."

"Worth a shot," he mumbled, stumbling to his feet .

Winter extended a hand. He grasped it, keeping himself from wobbling. "We'll be cutting our training short today.." she spoke, "We have some matters to attend to, mostly getting you new gear, and getting your uniform fitted."

Jaune paused, "Uniform? What's wrong with what I've got?" he had grown comfortable with his dark brown cloak.

"Remember, you're a working boy now, key word, _working_. You require a uniform, and most importantly, a weapon. I recall from the report that you use a sword? What happened to it?" she spoke, walking to the benches and grabbing a water bottle from the duffle bag.

He frowned, "I hope it's not at all similar to yours, or Ironwoods. Too.. bright, for my tastes. Cho's men took my sword when they caught me. Wasn't anything special, really. Just a sword I picked up during my travels."

She thought on this. _Maybe some adjustments could be made._ "Perhaps we can make some changes, but the color scheme stays. As for your weapon, we'll have to see about getting you a permenant one."

Jaune sighed, "I suppose that's as much as I'll get out of it. Honestly, I don't mind having just a regular sword. Nothin' fancy. What else is on the agenda?"

Winter hummed in thought once more, "Well for one, we'll need to go shopping again for more clothes, since your wardrobe consists of almost nothing, save a few t-shirts and shorts from our last visit to the markets. And probably groceries."

The teen shrugged, "I guess it couldn't hurt. I don't have a lot of lien left, I'll probably only get a few more pants for training." he said, reaching for his wallet, counting the spare lien cards he had.

"Don't worry about that. We'll have it covered." she spoke, standing from the bench. "Let's head home and shower, we'll be heading to the taylor shop first to get your uniform made."

He nodded, gathering his bag as well, "What did you mean by, 'its covered'?" he asked.

Winter looked at him from the sides of her eyes, "You're working now, even if we're still training and even if you're still an apprentice. You have an hourly wage. We still have yet to recieve your bank card however."

He stared at her for a few seconds.. _Bank.. card?_ He had a wage now? Yes.. He had recalled Ironwood mentioning that.

The only money he had ever gotten was from stealing off of those undeserving. Theifs, bandits, the likes. Now he didn't have to do that anymore.. _This could really turn out as a future for me_, Jaune thought. He almost didn't want to talk, in fear of choking up in embarrassment from how emotional he was feeling. _It would ruin my image_, he thought, sarcastically.

He simply nodded, and followed her out of the training hall.

They walked together, out from the military base, and onto the closest street. They usually walked home, since Winters apartment was close to the base, which made it convenient. That got Jaune thinking. Wasn't Winter a Schnee?

Shouldn't she have some big fancy house?

"What are you thinking about?" Winter asked, from her position walking infront of him

"Huh?"_ How does she do that? Even knows when I'm thinking damnit_. "I was just wondering.. Well, you're a.. Schnee, right?"

She hummed at this, "Yes, in name only. My rights and possesions as a Schnee have been revoked however." Her eyebrow raised curiously at him, "Why?"

He walked to match her pace, "Well, I was thinking about why you have your own apartment and not.."

"Not a big fancy palace with servents and a cushy bed?"

"Yeah," he coughed awkwardly, "That."

She nodded, accepting the answer. It was a fair one, after all. The Schnees had a reputation. "When I decided to become a huntress, my father was furious and wouldn't allow it. Traditionally my family, the Schnees, were fighters. Our semblance for whatever reason, is hereditary. This is the trademark and identification for the Schnees. That is, until my father came into the picture. He married my mother, and took the SDC from us. Then, he went even further to tell me that I wasn't going to be a huntress.." she said, turning the corner at a street intersection.

Jaune followed, "Isn't that.. a little controlling?"

She nodded, "Yes, and that's precicely the reason I left," she said, walking into the base of the complex. "He told me that if I wanted to pursue this dream of mine, that all my rights and posessions as a Schnee, land and money, would be taken away from me. It was an easy choice, really. I realized that money, land and titles aren't everything. I studied at Atlas academy before I was offered the position as Specialists Apprentice, by General Ironwood."

He nodded at this, entering the elevator with her. Silence followed her explanation. "What about you?" she asked, her eyes meeting his.

"What _about_ me?" He said, a golden eyebrow raised.

"What was Veridian like?" she asked, exiting the elevator.

"Ah.. _that_." He thought on this, "Well, Veridian was a small village, small but largely populated. Mostly ophans running around, trying to find a place to stay. We were south from the City of Vale. Honestly there isn't much to tell. I didn't have many friends. except..well, except Amber." he said, head falling at the name.

"There wasn't an education system in Veridian and the City of Vale didn't think to help us at all. We were peaceful, though. Even through hard times, we still smiled and enjoyed each others company. We only needed a roof over our heads and food to survive. And we had that. Until Torchwick had it exterminated." he added, entering the condo with Winter.

Winter shook her head, "They were looking for a single person. When they found she wasn't there, they must have decided the village was useless and he probably gave the order to kill." she said, dropping her gym bag into the counter.

It was Jaunes turn to shake his head, "I don't wanna talk about it anymore.." he said, making his way to his room.

"Jaune," Winter said, unexpectedly. She reached out to grasp his shoulder. "We'll get him. I promise."

He didn't respond. He just nodded and went to his room.

Winter didn't usually show a lot of emotion on most topics, but she could almost imagine the loss and trauma that he had gone through. Still going through, in fact.

She sighed, walking into her room. How she would get him out of this.. depressed state, she didn't know.

Jaune and Winter found their way to the Taylor's shop and he was having his measurements made. To his suprise, it wasn't a taylor taking his measurements, but a young girl, the same age as him.

He gulped, as her hands slid around his waist and wrapped a measuring tape around him.

Winter coughed. He looked at her. Her eyes were narrowed, as if saying, _Do not embarrass me._

The girl, silent and neutral faced as ever, moved to take his chest measurements. He blushed harder. Winter face palmed.

The door at the back of the room opened to reveal a short man, brown short hair. This must be the taylor, Jaune thought.

"Everything okay here?" he asked, opening a book, a sketchpad, as he sat on a stool, watching him.

"Yes Bruce," Winter said, "Everything is fine here." she finished, teeth grinding together, eyes narrowed at Jaune.

Silence followed.

"Okay.." he said, drawing out the word.

"Jaune, this is Bruce. He's my personal taylor, and has been doing uniforms for the Military for quite some time." she spoke to Jaune directly, "And this is his daughter, Cerise.."

He didn't miss the emphasis on Daughter.

"Cerise, you didn't introduce yourself?" The man asked. She simply shook her head, writing down some measurements on a pad.

Bruce sighed, "Sorry about her. Anyhow, this is a new recruit, Winter? Looks a little too tan for Atlas if you ask me.." he asked, grunting as he reached at the desk for a pencil.

"Well he wasn't born here, Bruce. He's a stray, I guess you could say. And he's not a recruit, he's a Specialists Apprentice." she spoke, sitting on the stool next to Bruce. Jaune stood a little taller at that statement.

His eyes widened slightly, "Ah, just like you were. I take it he's yours?"

She nodded, "You would be right." she said, watching as Jaune was being measured. He turned his head around, a pleading look in his eyes. _Help me_, they said.

Of course, she ignored him.

"I believe I have a sketch already set for Apprentices, let's see here.." he said flipping through his sketch pad.

Winter shook her head, "I believe we'll be going for a more.. different approach this time, Bruce. His current outfit seems to suit him well enough. Give him the standard uniform, make it longer towards the bottom, and add a cloak. That should do. Feel free to add anything."

He nodded, "I see you've put some thought into this. I'll have it done." he said, beginning a new sketch.

The girl measuring Jaune wrapped up the tape and patted Jaune on the chest. His breath hitched. Winter glared at him. "All done here, father." she said, handing him the noted pad.

He nodded absently, sketching away, "Thank you Cerise. I will have it done for you sometime tomorrow, Winter. We're done here."

She nodded, standing from her seat. Jaune rushed to her side, away from the girl. "Thank you Bruce. We'll be seeing you then." she said, exiting the room, Jaune tailing her.

The two of them exited the plaza, walking onto the street once more. Jaune fumbled with his vest and cloak, tugging at it, moving it all around.

"What's with you? Do teenage boys have no control? I didn't know the great Jaune Arylide had a soft spot for girls.." Winter said. Almost.. teasingly?

Jaune gave her a weird look, "What's it to you? Can't blame me when theres an attractive girl getting all touchy feely with me."

"Don't get the wrong idea. It's her job. The last thing I need is my own student running around bedding women." she said, turning the corner.

Jaune blushed, "I'm not like that! I can't remember the last time I've seen another person _my_ age.." he said, mumbling the last part out.

It was true, the last time he had been around other kids, teenagers even, was when Veridian still stood. When Amber had gone missing, he left all of that. He had only seen adults since. Criminals and thieves.

Winter thought about this.. "I suppose you're right.. I guess it can't be helped. Another thing we will have to work on." she added.

"What?" Jaune said, confused.

Winter turned to enter the lot of another plaza, "One of the skills that Specialists require, regardless of their specialty, is the ability to act. It's important on missions where we need to be undercover. When we need to be someone we're not. This will be an important skill for you, since you'll be undercover during your time at Beacon." she said, stopping infront of a shop.

Jaune sighed, "_Acting_? Great! More training.." he moaned, raising a fist in the air, feinting a 'whoop!'

Winter smacked his arm, "How many times have I told you, laziness won't get you anywhere. It will come in handy, you'll see" she said, assuringly.

He only nodded. Thus far, everything Winter had been teaching him had been true. His mind had been working double, even triple time to compensate for Beacon standards.

She pointed to the vinyl on the window, "What does it say?"

Jaune sighed and looked at the sign. He racked his brain for the symbols. Remember, he recalled her words. Spell it out in your head first, then sound it out, Winter said, during a lesson.

"Give it a shot," Winter said, encouragingly

Jaune focused on the sign, "Bala-ak sumith? I- I dunno Winter, just tell me already," he said, turning his face, embarrassed.

"Good, that was close. That says Blacksmith. Wasn't so bad, was it? Now remember that. Try to read as many things as you can, even when you're out with me. Never, feel afraid to ask me." she said, a small smile twitching at her mouth. Good, she thought. Progress.

He nodded, sighing. Hopefully this would pay off.

Then it struck him, "Why are we at a blacksmith's shop?"

"I told you we were getting you geared up, didn't I?" she said, opening the door.

He reached for her shoulder, "Winter, I can't buy this stuff right now. I don't have the lien, and I don't have my card yet," he said through gritted teeth.

She nodded, "That's fine," she said, walking in anyways.

Jaune stood, staring at the door, arm hanging in the air, eye twitching, Could she get anymore _infuriating?_ He thought.

He entered, regardless, and stared in awe at all of the blades and shields hung on the walls and kept in display cases. Everything from long swords to short swords, daggers, knifes, spears, he could go on. This place was a dream.

"Find something, show it to me, and we'll go from there." Winter said, appearing at his side, startling him.

He nodded, gulping.

Jaune roamed the shop, admiring all the gleam and sparkle, nothing catching his eyes specifically.

Making his way back around, he saw Winter by a set of display cases, "Anything interesting here?"

She shook her head slightly, "Interesting, but not my style. Besides, I've already got a sword." she said off handedly.

He looked down at the display case, admiring the curved swords, "What are these? Never seen anything like them," he asked, hand touching the glass.

"These are found mostly north of Mistral. The people of Zaohai are masters of the Katana, as well as many other types of sword arts." Winter explained, having studied this herself.

He nodded, looking at the blades, "All of these are single edged, what advantage is there to that?"

"A double edged sword," She began, "is usually wielded with two hands, and is heavier. A single edged blade is lighter and allows for quick, swift movements. This isn't very far off from my Saber, to be honest. I could teach you, having studied the katana myself." she said, hand on the handle of her saber.

Jaune looked at her, "You studied these?" She nodded.

"During my apprenticeship, I learned to use many different blades. This was one of them. Ironwood sent me to Mistral for six months to study. I'm no master, but I could teach you. Eventually, the idea is that you will develop your own technique." she said, recalling the times of her youth.

Jaune nodded. He was certainly interested in these. However, all of them looked so.. dainty, and fragile. "I feel like if I used one, it would snap in two."

"They're harder than they look. The techniques the Mistrali use are some of the most sought after hardening techniques, even by the smiths of Atlas. Why don't you take a look at some of them?" she asked.

Before he could respond, she waved a worker over to them, "We would like to look at the few in this display case, if you wouldn't mind." she spoke, confidently.

"Not a problem," said the bald, bearded man. He opened the case with his keys and placed the enclosed swords on the glass top. "All yours," he said, stepping back.

Winter extended a hand, as if saying 'go ahead'.

He reached for the first one. The scabbard and handle, he couldn't tell where the join was. He tugged at one end experimentally and found that the seam was so tight knit, you couldn't tell it was a sword in scabbard.. Interesting.. he thought.

He felt the gold and bronze ornaments on the handle and scabbard. This is a little too.. fancy. he thought. He unsheathed the blade regardless. "Careful with that, sonny." said the blacksmith warily.

Jaune looked at him and nodded, it did seem very sharp. The blade was oiled and shone in the light. He looked to Winter for guidance.

She shrugged, "Pretty good looking sword, if you ask me," she said, almost casually. He didn't miss the hidden test. She was seeing if he could find the faults. No weapon was perfect.

"It is, and I wouldn't mind having it. The only thing is.. It's not as subtle as I would like. The ornaments and gleam attracts attention. Makes me a potential target." he explained. She nodded in agreement, approvingly. "Not that I couldn't handle myself," he added as an after thought. Winter glared at him. He zipped his mouth shut.

"Are there any others like this, more subtle perhaps?" Winter asked, hand on the glass top.

The man hummed, stroking his long beard, "Yes, perhaps." He turned to the corner where a dozen scraps of logs and sword scabbards stood, and grabbed what Jaune at first was a stick. "This is a Chokuto. More straight than curved," he explained.

He placed it on the glass top and extended a hand, inviting him to inspect it.

Jaune took it into his hands. The wood was stained black, with strands of dark brown showing here and there. Again, the join between blade and scabbard was seamless, so that it didn't even look like a weapon. The finish was matte and very subtle. He slid the sword from the scabbard, hearing the hiss of steel as it slid from its casing. His eyes widened slightly.

The blade had swirling and stripped patterns, ranging from dark to light. It was a straight, single edged blade, that practically breathed danger. There was an enscription near the base of the blade.. It seemed to be in another language.

He handed it to Winter, a questioning look on his face.

She nodded thoughtfully. She had learnt a small amount of the language of Zaohai during her brief time there. "It says, Yorukaze. It means, 'Night-wind'"

He nodded, admiring the name itself. The handle shifted in Jaune's hand perfectly. No ornaments, no shine. Perfect.

Jaune slid the blade back into the scabbard, "Where was it made?" He asked the smith

"This one? I couldn't tell you. I'm guessing, north of Mistral, like most of these. The blade is made from many diffrerent metals, hense the pattern. It's harder than most of these swords." He said, pointing to the one he previously looked at.

He looked to Winter once more, his eyes practically speaking for him. She smiled. An actual smile this time. "We'll take this one, sir." she announced.

Jaune let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. Winter placed a hand on his shoulder, "This one should do you fine, Jaune." she said

He nodded, the gesture conveying his thoughts to her. They payed for the weapon and left the shop.

They stood in front of the shop once again. "Winter," he started, "I'll pay you back, I promise. When I get my card-" she raised a hand to stop him.

Winter placed a hand on her saber, "This," she patted it, "was a gift from _my_ mentor. That," she pointed to his sword, "is a gift from _yours_. Make sure it lasts, because I'm not getting you another one." she said, turning on a heel, starting the journey back to the condo.

Jaune stood there in silence, mouth slightly hung open.

Winter paused and turned around, "What are you waiting for?! Follow!" she barked at him, bringing him out of his shocked state.

_Ah great, the moment is gone now_, he thought, jogging to catch up with her.


	5. Chapter 5

Within the next two months, Jaune had moved onto adding sword play into his physical training. Winter had also made it clear that he could no longer continue without an Aura, so she unlocked his for him. It was weird at first, he thought. He felt more.. living, for lack of better words. Aura had been a huge change for him. Scratches and bruises that had once pained him at the time of impact felt like pebbles being pelted at him now. Winter told him that he had an unnatural amount of Aura, so it would take a while for him to learn how to manipulate it. And manipulate he would. Jaune was starting to develope his own style of fighting now, even if he wasn't trying to. He was adapting to his new weapon, Yurokaze. With Winters influence, the way he wielded it became deadly.

As promised by Bruce the Taylor, Jaunes uniform, as well as several spares, were delivered on time. He now wore a long white colored light-weight coat that reached his knees with a dark blue border. His pants were a dark grey that tucked neatly into his boots, also a darker grey. As promised, a cloak covered him, white and grey in color, with a patch of dark red towards the bottom. Inside the jacket, he wore a navy blue button-up vest, similar to the leather brown one he owned before. A black belt with a several spots for accessories and a sword was wrapped around his hips also, where his new weapon hung. He then decided to sport a set of light grey knee guards, at Winter's insistence.

Winter began to train him on his acting as well, teaching him the art casualty and seriousness, without being caught lying. He was a fast learner in this field, having had to lie and deceive criminals and others during his travels.

His reading had improved as well. Winter incorporated more of it into their day to day lives. Every morning during breakfast, he would ready the newspaper to her as they ate breakfast. His fluency still needed work, however, his progress was as Winter hoped. Excellent.

His time in Atlas was shortening quickly, and it wouldn't be just all training. Winter received word from Ironwood that he had a mission for her. And by proxy, for Jaune as well.

It wasn't anything special, more of a way to test Jaunes abilities in the field. That part wasn't known to Jaune however. In fact, he didn't know yet that they had a mission.

Winter laid in her bed, preparing for sleep to take her, thinking on the mission. Ironwood had said that it was a simple Grimm clearest. In fact, Jaune could have probably taken care of the mission himself.. He had faced the Grimm before many times on his travels, she recalled him saying. However, she felt that it was her duty to go with him to see his progress and what improvements were to be made. After all, he was going to be an active Huntsmen as well as a Specialist, like herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted by soft noises and shuffles heard from somewhere inside her condominium. She raised her head to listen closer.

She couldn't make out what it was. Winter stood from her bed, grabbing her Saber which rested against her bedside table.

Making her way to the door, carefully avoiding making any noise, she opened it and peered through, only to see nothing.

Winter made her way down the passed the living room and listened closer, only to find the sound was coming from Jaunes room.. She went to open his door.

On his bed, Jaune grunted, shuffling in his sleep, curling up tighter in his bed sheets, then turned over, as if agitated. His eyes were scrunched shut.

Winter knew what this was. She placed her weapon against his bedside table, next to his own. He's having a nightmare, she thought, taking a seat at the edge of his bed.

"Come back.." he said softly in his sleep, tossing and turning. Winter sighed and turned on his bedside lamp.

"No, leave them alone, stop it.." he mumbled, muscles tensed.

Winter reached out and grasped his arm, gently shaking. "Jaune, wake up."

His shaking relented. He tensed more at her touch. She frowned, shaking him harder. "Jaune!"

Blue eyes snapped open. He whirled around, a punch headed her way. Winter caught it deftly, even if it was unexpected. "It's only me, calm down."

Recognition flashed through his eyes, "Winter? I'm sorry.." He said, softly, letting his first drop. She saw his tear stained face, his form still quivering slightly.

She sat closer, "What did you dream about? What caused this?" Winter asked.

Jaune shook his head, "It's not important, I'm sorry I woke you up, just go back to bed." He said, reaching to turn off the lamp.

His mentor grabbed his hand, firmly but assuringly, "Tell me Jaune. Do you think I'll sleep tonight after what I just saw? We will need to fix this. What did you dream of?" She said, a lecturing tone taking her voice.

The apprentice sighed, knowing she wouldn't give up. "It was.. It was Veridian. Everything was burning, people were screaming. I could hear the shouts and gunshots. The roaring flames.. I couldn't move. I felt frozen.." He paused to collect himself.

"Everything changed suddenly," he continued, "I saw Amber.. She was running, and suddenly I could move. But for as long as I could run, she just kept running. No matter how much I shouted for her to come back.. I still don't understand.." He said, raising his shirt to wipe his face.

"Understand what?" She asked, curious.

"It's always the same dream. Everytime, every detail is the same. And I can always recall this dream." He said, looking at her, eyes clearer.

She nodded. She had heard of experiences like this before. Post traumatic stress was his problem, Winter thought to herself.

He shook his head again, "Why does this keep happening Winter?" He asked, his face showing his distress.

She looked at him, "It is likely due to the stress that you've endured so far in your life. Difficult and.. traumatic experiences tend to create these circumstances." Winter said, grasping his hand a little more. "You'll get passed this.

I know you will. You'll have to be strong. Focus your resolve on what's important. Becoming stronger so that we can take the ones responsible to justice."

Winter felt his hand tighten in hers. He nodded, his body relaxing slightly. "I'll have to get through this if I want to become stronger. If I want a future for myself." Jaune let go of her hand.

She took it back, resting it against his mattress. "Good." She said simply.

He looked to her again, "I'm sorry, again, for waking you." fearing her response.

Winter raised a hand, "It is alright. I wasn't even asleep. I was thinking about some stuff I have planned. You'll hear more tomorrow morning. Go to sleep, " she said, raising from her seat on his bed and grabbing her weapon.

He nodded, turning off the lamp from his bedside table. "Winter," he said.

"Yes?" She said, walking to the door.

"Thanks. I mean, for all of this. I didn't think I'd land myself that far from home, and this lucky, to be honest. My only goal until a couple months ago was to kill Roman Torchwick. And I still do.. But I realized recently, what's after that? I wouldn't have a future." He said, reaching the point, "You and Ironwood gave me an opportunity for both."

"Well, technically Ironwood gave you that.." She said, offhandedly, "But I suppose I've grown accustom to you. You're stubborn and rebellious," She said, silence following.

Jaune waited for her to continue.

"But," she said sighing, "You make for a good apprentice. I know I can make a decent Specialist out of you. Just some more kinks to work out. Another six years worth." She said, opening the door to leave.

He laughed slightly. "It won't be that bad, you've already grown used to me. Goodnight Winter."

She nodded, and left his room.

The next morning, Winter explained during breakfast the mission Ironwood had given her. They would be going to Ironwood for the official assignment, but Winter knew what the mission was before hand.

"We'll be going to Oar's Rest, a village on the eastern part of Atlas. Their village head has passed, and with that, the entire village has been impacted. Flowing negative emotions from each individual has brought the Grimm their way. So far there has been eight casualties, and four injured. We are going to eliminate the Grimm in that area until it has calmed."

"Until it has calmed?" He asked, munching on his bacon.

She glared at him for the bad manner, "Yes, until the villages people have returned to normal, when the negative emotions are held at bay. I cannot say how long it will be, but I estimate about a week at most."

Jaune nodded, although he still questioned, "Does the entire village being distressed really attract that much Grimm? I'm not sure I've heard of such things.." He said, drinking from his glass of orange juice.

Winter nodded, "Yes, the Grimm are especially attracted to negative emotions. And in an unprotected village like Oar's rest, they will not hesitate to attack at any chance they have."

Jaune nodded. That made sense. Oar's rest was an unprotected village, too far from the walls that defend the center of Atlas.

"So why is this being assigned to a Specialist?" Jaune inquired, stacking his plate with hers, bringing it to the sink.

"Well," she began, "I'm a Huntress too, Jaune. I do have to take missions regularly from the Council. As a Specialist, I only answer to General Ironwood, who gives me missions that are specific to the needs of Atlas."

"I see," he said nodding. "Will my identity be an issue?"

She shook her head, "Shouldn't be. We won't be staying in the village, after all."

He gave her a questioning look, "What?"

"We're going to be camping out in the forest. How else do you think we'll get all the Grimm?"

Silence followed her statement, Jaunes mouth hung slightly open.

Even in my travels, I never slept in a forest knowing there was Grimm.. He thought.

This lady is crazy.

Two days had passed and they were on route to the village via Bullhead, and that's when Jaune realized there was a problem.

His stomach had never felt so explosive.

Winter gave him an odd look as he huddled himself into the corner of the ship, strapped up in his seat.

"I-" he paused to bear the pain, "I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm so dizzy and I feel like I'm about to spill my guts," he said miserably.

Winter walked over to him and sat in the seat next to his. She observed him closely.

"I think you have motion sickness." She put a finger to her chin in thought, "In fact, we've never taken any form of transport together before. We usually walk everywhere we go. Have you ever had issues like this before?"

He closed his eyes in fustration, "Well I've never been on one of these things before, so no."

"Yes, then I think you have motion sickness."

He moaned in pain, "I think so too,"

She waved a hand casually, "We'll be there soon anyways, you'll be fine."

"We've got another three hours!" They heard the captain shout from his seat.

Jaune moaned in agony once more.

They arrived at Oar's rest sometime during the evening. They stepped off the ship, watching it rise and fly off over the horizon. They had a clear view of the village from where they stood, at the edge of the forest.

"So this is it?" Jaune asked, hefting his camping back.

Winter nodded, "We will make our presence known, then we will head back into the woods."

They made their way to the village. They saw the villagers walking about, but when their presence was noted, they held their children closer to them.

"Is that normal?" He whispered to Winter.

She nodded, "It is normal for people to be skeptical of Huntsmen and Huntresses. After all, our job requires us to kill." She said, walking down the path to what looked like the biggest house.

They stopped when they were at the large doors of the house. The villagers gathered around watched them warily. Winter knocked on the door, awaiting a response.

The door cracked open, revealing a short women, almost a head shorter than Winter. She saw the uniforms and her eyes widened slightly.

The door opened wider, "You're from the capital? Have you come to take care of the Grimm?" She asked, her voice soft.

He looked to Winter for a response, only to find her staring back at the woods. "Winter?" He whispered, nudging her.

She only glared at him in response. "Yes, that's why we are here. I have only come to make sure you are aware of this. I take it you are the new village head?"

She nodded. The lady looked young, but her eyes showed she hadn't slept in days. "My father has passed due to his illnesses and I have succeeded him. He was quite close with the villagers so when he passed, well.. I guess you can see the impact.. The Grimm seems to have noticed."

Again, Winter's head snapped towards the tree line. "Is something wrong?" The women asked, her eyes growing worried.

His mentor looked to him. Be ready, her eyes said. "Please ask all of the villagers to return home. Do not let them panic, lest even more will come. Reassure them that we will have this handled." She spoke, calmly.

Jaune's own eyes widened slightly. Already the Grimm were here? He thought, surprised.

The Village's head nodded, although it showed that she was frightened. She stepped out passed them, "My people, please head to your homes. Danger is coming, and we have people to help us. Please, remain calm. Keep your young ones safe and quite. We will be okay, believe me." She explained to the crowd.

They all quickly dispersed to their respective homes. Jaune scanned the area for any signs. His eyes widened.

He pointed to what he saw, "Winter, that's not good."

She looked to where he was pointing, "Go Jaune, go now!" She spoke sharply, her eyes widening also.

Jaune saw the stray child in the fields before the tree line, and he saw the huge Beowolf heading towards it.

He charged Aura to his feet and boosted to speeds as he had trained before. The Beowolfs arm swung down and a scream was heard from a nearby home.

The blow never reached. The Beowolf howled at the pain. Jaune's sword was free and it had sliced the arm cleanly from the Grimm's body. He did not waste time.

Within seconds, Jaune had the Grimm in pieces. He grabbed the baby boy and sprinted to the closest home where he had heard the scream.

He saw who he assumed to be the mother and handed the crying baby to her, "Yours?" He asked, catching his own breath.

She nodded, her own eyes flowing quickly with tears. She nodded to him gratefully, and Jaune knew that she couldn't bear to speak at the moment, knowing she'd likely break down. He nodded back.

"Keep this for me," He said, shrugging off his camping pack onto the ground. He wasted no time in sprinting back onto the tree line where he saw Winter dueling with an Ursa.

More Grimm came, and as quickly as they came, they fell by the blades of the mentor and apprentice. Their dance was deadly and dead Grimm decomposed throughout their battlefield. It only lasted an hour before the last Grimm fell. Or so they thought.

Sweat dripping from his brow, Jaune heard a rustle in the trees. Soon, trees began to fall. Breaking through the tree line was a large Death Stalker, snapping it's claws dangerously.

He looked to Winter, she nodded at him. They would work together to defeat this one. She slammed her saber into the grass and a glyph appeared beneath her. It spun rapidly before a white, glowing replica of a Major Ursa grew from it. She pointed at the Death Stalker, "Attack!" she commanded.

The white beast growled and pounced onto the Death Stalker. Jaune watched the scene with awe. He had never had the chance to see Winter use her semblance in this way before.. It was usually only glyphs that gave her momentary boosts of power or speed.. but Summoning? Yes, she had mentioned it before, but it was still amazing to watch.

He met Winter at her position, "What do we do now? Can we fight this thing?"

Eyes narrowed, she answered, "We can, though we need to be careful about it. Death Stalkers are quick and deadly precise, even for their size. This is one of the larger ones I've seen." She added, "Follow my lead," She said, sprinting from her spot.

Jaune followed her path and had his sword at the ready. It gleamed dark red with the blood of the Grimm that had fallen at his hands. Winter raised her hand to command her summon, she pointed to its stinger.

The Ursa slammed into the Death Stalker, and grabbed it's stinger while it was disoriented. It slammed it to the ground, claws clamped around it, awating it's masters orders.

"Jaune! Off with it!" She shouted to him. He ran around the squirming monster and swung an aura charged arm down at the stinger. It came off cleanly, not even scratching Jaune's blade.

The Death Stalkers scream echoed across the plains.

Winter jumped from where she stood, her sword in hand. She grasped the handle, allowing a mechanism to unfold, as two swords split from the one saber. She slammed both of them into the head of the Grimm.

Silence followed the strike, only the sounds of the dying Death Stalker remained.

Winter hopped from the Grimm next to Jaune, sheathing her blade, as Jaune did. They scanned the area once more for any more danger, just in case.

When they were sure they were safe, Winter dismissed her summon, watching it as it faded into the night sky.

Together, they walked back to the village. Doors to the houses were peeked open, villagers gazing at the blood splattered warriors as they walked back to their leaders cabin.

"That was.. something.." Jaune mumbled, his eyes glancing at Winter. "How did you know they were coming?"

She kept on walking, "You fight enough Grimm, you learn to observe their habits. If I'm correct, they usually attack at this time. We'll have to ask her." She said, reaching the doors once more.

Winter looked at Jaune and nodded at the door, indicating for him to knock on it. He gave her an odd look but did so none the less, "It's safe to come out, they're gone."

The door creaked open slowly, revealing the same women as before. "You knew they were coming." She said, looking to Winter. She merely nodded. "Are they all gone?"

Again, she nudged Jaune to answer, "Yes, for the moment. However it is likely that they will return. We will be here to stop them again." At this, her eyes widened.

"Here? No no, no. You mustn't! My people have seen enough, If you were to stay here-"

Winter simply raised a hand. "I understand. We will not be Staying here. I apologize for the may not see us again, as we will be hunting in the woods, however once the threat has been dealt with, you will be notified." She said, turning to leave once more. Jaune watched her for a second in confusion before joining her.

They were making their way towards the end of the village when someone shouted, "Wait!"

Jaune turned to see the mother of the boy Jaune saved before. She held out his pack, "You'll need this." She said quietly, handing over the blood stained pack.

He nodded awkwardly, "Uh, thanks. See you later?" He realized it was the wrong choice of words but stuck by them regardless.

The women nodded, "I hope so. I thank you for saving my son. It was not until the last moment that I realized he slipped away from my home.. I should have been more careful." She explained.

"He's safe, and that's what matters." Jaune said. He didn't really know what else To say. Keep it short, he'd imagine Winter saying.

She nodded, a small smile gracing her face, "You are correct. You look rather young to be a Huntsmen. Are you a student of the academy?" she asked, her eyes settled on Jaunes face.

Jaune looked to Winter for guidance. He didn't know whether to tell her about his identity or not. She simply nodded. How insightful, he thought sacastically.

He stuck a hand out. "Jaune Arylide, Specialists Apprentice. Her's, to be more exact." He said, gesturing to Winter.

She took the hand, "My name is Aera, pleased to meet you. And you are?" She said, offering a hand to Winter.

Winter took the hand gently, "Winter Schnee." She said. Yep, Jaune thought. Short and sweet.

Aera nodded politely, "Thank you both for what you are doing. I'm sure Carmine would have been more thankful, but she's just been jumpy lately. It's to be expected with her father dying so soon, and what with all the Grimm attacks," she explained.

Carmine, Jaune thought. That must be the village head's name. "We understand. I'm afraid we'll have to be going now, however. Sorry to cut our conversation short." Jaune said, scratching his head awkwardly. He could see

Winter giving him a look. Make this quick, it said.

Aera nodded understandingly, "I see. Don't let me keep you then, be safe, Jaune Arylide and Winter Schnee." She said formally, bowing.

"Uh.." Jaune mumbled, "You too?" Winter smacked him, "Yeah! You too, be safe." He said, turning to walk away, rubbing the back of his head where it had been hit.

Aera watched as the two walked away. She heard the younger one mumble something along the lines of "Would you stop hittin' me?". She smiled. She knew the rest of the village was in distress, and the scene of monsters being

slain was both terrifying wand relieving, but she could be happy knowing that Huntsmen weren't all rough and tough with bad attitudes. Aera had heard of the Schnees before.. It was a Dust company out of the the main part of Atlas.. She hadn't heard much of a 'Winter' Schnee.. A thought for another day, she thought.

Yes, she thought, I believe I might see them again. It was a just a feeling Aera had. Something was special about that boy.. Jaune.

The mentor and apprentice duo walked side by side deeper into the forest, scouting for more signs of Grimm. Night was quickly approaching.

"Winter?" Jaune inquired, stepping over a branch.

She hummed in response, queuing him to continue.

"Why were they so afraid to let us stay there? That one lady, Aera seemed pretty nice. Why was everyone else skepticle?" Jaune asked.

Winter slowed her pace, "To put it bluntly, they're scared of us." She took a look at Jaune's confused face and continued, "Not everyone can stare death in the eyes like we can. Even if it is monsters we slay, we are still killing, and it's a scene most people do not wish to see. It doesn't seem so for us, and many other Huntsmen, because that's what we're trained to do. But civilians are not familiar with it. And most of all, children can be traumatized for life, seeing what we do."

It started to make sense now. The worried looks when they first arrived at the village, and even after they had saved them. "But what about Aera? She seemed to accept us."

"I believe she knows our true value and knows that what we do is our job and no more. I am willing to bet that someone in her family is a Huntsmen." She said, stopping and glancing around.

Jaune stopped with her, "You think so? I never knew others were so.. scared of us."

Winter looked at him, "You'll notice that the civilians inside the walls of the capital do not seem to fear us. Instead they look to us for guidance in times of distress. That is because they have never been outside in the unprotected lands. They are unaware of the things we have to do to protect them."

"They're.. blind?"

She nodded, "Put simply, yes. But not by choice. Imagine if the entire population knew of the things we did and what was really beyond the city walls? The Grimm would come crawling. Some things are better left unsaid."

Winter said, removing her pack. "We will camp here for tonight. I'll have first watch. Go gather some branches, dry ones, for a fire."

He nodded and settled down his pack as well.

Jaune swallowed hard. It was going to be a long night in a forest full of Grimm.


End file.
